In 1978 we moved to Texline, TX to minister to the church there. Texline is a little bitty town in the far northwest corner of the Texas panhandle. There were about 400 people in the town but it was a farming/ranching area so there were more people in the area. When we moved there the church had about 125 people. Those were some of the most wonderful people in the world. That's where I met JL as a matter of fact. We were young and stupid but we didn't have the faintest idea we were. After all, this was actually "our second church" so we pretty much knew all there was to know about ministering to God's people. (Fact of the matter is, it's a wonder we didn't offend everyone with our supposed wisdom.)
A young man moved to town to be a loan officer at the bank. He was just a couple of years older than us. JL as a matter of course met Mark and befriended him like he did everyone. Mark was searching for God - a "true" Christian was how he described it. After a time, he said "I want whatever it is that JL has -- I believe him to be a true Christian". He started coming to a Bible study and we grew to love him dearly. He gave his life to the Lord and was so committed to growing in the Lord. For some reason he and I connected - kindred spirits I guess. He was like the big brother I had always wanted and didn't have. Because he was single, I took it upon myself to 'mother' him -- feeding him, etc. He was just a really, really good person. One night after church on Sunday night he went home (he lived out in the country), changed into his shorts and went for his nightly jog. He was hit by a car and killed that night. John was called and he drove out there and held Mark's head in his lap until the ambulance came. They had to come clear from Dalhart because we didn't have an ambulance in Texline. John and JL drove behind the ambulance to Amarillo - I went out to the L abode and stayed with R. We heard a couple of hours later that he died before getting to Amarillo.
That was the first time I had ever lost anyone close to me. It was devastating. I knew nothing about grief but I learned the hard way. I learned in that horrible, nightmarish night that none of us had a guaranteed life span. If you love someone, tell them. I had grown up in a home where I knew I was loved, but we weren't 'touchy-feely' and didn't speak of love out loud. But I learned to do that after Mark. One of the things that gave me comfort in the dark days and weeks after he died, was that I HAD told Mark I loved him. So I didn't have that regret. I changed that night. For the better. I became more open to showing love and sharing love. In that way, Mark's life and death were honored and he lives on. When son #2 came on the scene, we honored him again -- Tyler Mark Scott, born 5 years after Mark died.
A young man moved to town to be a loan officer at the bank. He was just a couple of years older than us. JL as a matter of course met Mark and befriended him like he did everyone. Mark was searching for God - a "true" Christian was how he described it. After a time, he said "I want whatever it is that JL has -- I believe him to be a true Christian". He started coming to a Bible study and we grew to love him dearly. He gave his life to the Lord and was so committed to growing in the Lord. For some reason he and I connected - kindred spirits I guess. He was like the big brother I had always wanted and didn't have. Because he was single, I took it upon myself to 'mother' him -- feeding him, etc. He was just a really, really good person. One night after church on Sunday night he went home (he lived out in the country), changed into his shorts and went for his nightly jog. He was hit by a car and killed that night. John was called and he drove out there and held Mark's head in his lap until the ambulance came. They had to come clear from Dalhart because we didn't have an ambulance in Texline. John and JL drove behind the ambulance to Amarillo - I went out to the L abode and stayed with R. We heard a couple of hours later that he died before getting to Amarillo.
That was the first time I had ever lost anyone close to me. It was devastating. I knew nothing about grief but I learned the hard way. I learned in that horrible, nightmarish night that none of us had a guaranteed life span. If you love someone, tell them. I had grown up in a home where I knew I was loved, but we weren't 'touchy-feely' and didn't speak of love out loud. But I learned to do that after Mark. One of the things that gave me comfort in the dark days and weeks after he died, was that I HAD told Mark I loved him. So I didn't have that regret. I changed that night. For the better. I became more open to showing love and sharing love. In that way, Mark's life and death were honored and he lives on. When son #2 came on the scene, we honored him again -- Tyler Mark Scott, born 5 years after Mark died.
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